Posted: August 31st, 2022

PTSD in the Veterans of the United States Army

PTSD in the Veterans of the United States Army
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD is a mental health condition that develops when someone experiences or witnesses a tragic, shocking, or dangerous event. Everyone can develop PTSD, but there are more cases of PTSD in military personnel than in the general population. Veterans are directly and repeatedly exposed to tragic situations during wars, which negatively impact their mental health.
Historically, the first diagnosis of PTSD was made on soldiers. This was after what is now considered as PTSD symptoms were observed in soldiers after a deployment. In fact, PTSD was initially referred to as “combat fatigue,” “shell shock,” or “war neurosis” and was simply viewed as the effects of combat on the soldiers.
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 7% of the general population will experience PTSD once in their lifetime. With military veterans, this rate is much higher and depends on the type of conflict and the period of exposure. For instance, among United States infantry soldiers that returned from Iraq, approximately11-20% developed PTSD. An estimated 30% of veteran soldiers from the Vietnam wars also developed PTSD or other mental conditions.
A report by the United States Department of Defense in 2015 indicated that there were more than 138,000 reported cases of PTSD among all troops deployed between 2000 to 2015 and 40,000 diagnoses in troops waiting to be deployed. Post-deployment PTSD has also increased significantly from 2000 to date, with a peak in 2011 and 2012.
Symptoms of PTSD in Veterans
The first symptoms of PTSD in Veterans can develop days after experiencing a traumatic event. In some people, symptoms can also appear months or years after deployment. Symptoms also differ with each Veteran. However, there are four cluster symptoms common with veterans suffering from PTSD.
• Re-experiencing and reliving the traumatic event. This involves spontaneous and distressing thoughts, nightmares, hallucinations, and flashbacks related to the event. Anything that reminds you of the trauma may trigger extreme emotional and physical reactions such as panic attacks.
• Avoiding things that remind you of the event. This may include people, places, memories, thoughts, feelings that you associate with the event.
• Negative thoughts and feelings. This includes persistent and distorted thoughts of fear, anger, guilt, shame, or self-blame.
• Increased arousal and reactivity. This includes involvement in reckless behaviors, difficulty in concentration, sleeping problems, and hypervigilance
PTSD Treatment for Veterans
Like other forms of mental disorders, the treatment for PTSD is multidimensional. Treatment options may involve different types of talk therapies, medications, or a combination of both. However, trauma-focused therapies, particularly Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Therapy (PE), have been proven to be very effective for many veterans.

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